News 18:00

BULLETIN 6 March 6 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# President Ramaphosa removes the Western Cape Judge President from office
# The DA lodges a complaint with Parliament’s Ethics committee against speaker Mapisa-Nqakula
# And soccer: Manchester City will start the last 16 game with one foot in the Champions League quarterfinals

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially removed Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe from office. The decision follows findings by the Judicial Service Commission of gross misconduct. Additionally, a resolution by the National Assembly, supported by more than two-thirds of its members, called for his removal. Hlophe was accused of attempting to improperly influence Constitutional Court Justices Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta in 2008. He will now lose his benefits, including a lifetime salary, a car allowance and comprehensive medical care.

# The Democratic Alliance has lodged a complaint with Parliament’s joint committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests regarding corruption allegations against National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. DA chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube, has emphasised the importance of upholding accountability and transparency in public office. She says the allegations against the speaker threaten the credibility of Parliament. Gwarube calls for a swift and comprehensive investigation to address the matter with seriousness and urgency:

# ActionSA accuses Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi of scrapping e-tolls solely for electoral gain ahead of the general elections on May 29th. Lesufi pledged to abolish the unpopular system by the end of this month, prompting criticism from Action SA’s Funzi Ngobeni, who deems it overdue. Ngobeni blames the ANC for implementing e-tolls without proper consultation. He says he is disappointed in the delay in scrapping the system, which Lesufi’s promised to do over a year ago already, during his inaugural state of the province address.

# French energy giant TotalEnergies has expanded its footprint in South Africa by acquiring participating interests in a new gas exploration block off the west coast. News24 reports the agreement with Africa Oil South Africa broadens TotalEnergies’ presence in the Orange Basin. The company is optimistic about the potential of this new licence. This strategic move aligns with the company’s broader exploration efforts in Namibia, where it operates two blocks. It recently discovered eleven-billion barrels of oil in the Venus field, signalling a potential transformation of Namibia into a significant oil producer.

# Soccer: Manchester City will continue their Champions League defence tonight when they welcome Copenhagen to England. City has one foot in the quarterfinals after winning the first leg three-one. Manager Pep Guardiola says reaching the last eight is their immediate goal:

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-82-cents and the euro at 20-rand-49-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-95-cents and Bitcoin trades at 66-thousand-947-dollars-40-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-139-dollars-51-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 83-dollars-9-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….